Yugoslav AF rare pics

[Air Luchador]

Maybe you have seen this before, but i thought I would post it. The Yugoslav Air Force was highly respected during the Cold War as they were stocking tonnes of armour,planes and various equipment that would help them defend against NATO or Warsaw Pact intrusions. Many people think that Yugoslavia was just another Commi country... false!

Federative Socialist Republic of Yugoslavia was the only country who resisted against Soviet Union occupation and Stalin who wanted to make a move, but changed his mind after Josip Broz-Tito the president of Yugoslavia (dictator,but kinnda good one) made a famous speech over BBC radio saying that Yugoslavia will defend their borders until the last man dies and put all of the army resources next to the Warsaw pact border countries like Romania,Bulgaria,Hungary.
That was projected clearly to the world when US and UK negotiators came to Yugoslavia in 1944 and try to figure out;"Who is this country that their King escaped to UK,dissmembered the army and left their own people to their own faith after 1941 April bombing of Belgrade by Luftwaffe"?
.
This same people (Jugoslav National Army)defended Yugoslavia from Nazis and even though we were divided between Commi regime and Nazis we had the "only" free territory not being taken over by Krauts in Europe. Germans launched many missions like Drvar parachute desant, but couldn't beat the partisans; the guerilla fighters.
Yugoslavs outdated planes were long gone in the first attacks by Nazis in the beggining of the war and US and UK didn't bother helping until the end of the war when Brits assigned Hurricanes and Spitfire squadrons on the island of Vis in Adriatic.
With a brief correspondance with Kennedy administration which found the Balkan penninsula strategically important in the 50-60's ,the Yugoslavs although independent from Warsaw pact ,turned back the ties with their Slavic friends Russians.
Just for the fact:
-Yugoslavia was always an independent country and not a part of any pact neither NATO nor Warsaw,meaning if anyone being Croatian,Slovene,Serbian, Macedonian,Bosnian or untitled; yes' we still had a colour TV's,electricity,cars and all the gimmicks we like to bragg about these days
-The only country that was infiltrated by the Russian red army helping defeating Nazis during WW2 which stayed independent (USSR)
-That was the reason during the cold war that we armed up because we were in the middle of the quiet conflict between US and SSSR and being on a very strategic Balkan peninnsula
-JNA was named the 4th strongest army in un-united Europe back in the 80's and I have served my part of it and I can tell you that I believe it!
I will try to upload link of YU air force hidden runways inside the mountains, where you actually accelerated inside the cave and just fly out after a 200feet drop shows...I know it's crazy,but it is normal in a way.
Enjoy!

http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/sh ... hp?t=70972

[aseanaero]

A lot of armament for a small aircraft

[Mgawa]

Air Luchador- all what you said is correct and reason why was important to destruct my country.

During the confidential meeting in Paris in 1952 of Yugoslav miulitary delegation with West officers, one question was place to Yugoslav side- on which side they will fight in the event of war. Without doubt chief of general stuff said that Yugoslavia will fight on NATO side.

Chanell Dunav-Tisa-Dunav was made not for the delivery of water to field but as the fortification against the possible agression from Warshaw aliance. I was in one armor unit stationed in Pancevo and our task is to be first line of defence against Soviet attack. Our regiment with few hundred of armor vehicles and cannons was planed to live 21 minute. First wave was estimated to live seven minutes, second wave to live feefteen minutes and all unit to be completely wipe off in twenty one minute. This 21 minute was estimated time to get whole Army with headquater in Belgrade on alert and on move.

That was very strange situation as well whole officials was politicaly with great simphaty to Soviet Union. In the early '60 we get in inventory MiG-21 and actually that was have to be Mirage III. But political symphaty was stronger then the logic. Second time was in '80 when we have plans to get Mirage 2000 but we get MiG-29. That was economical reason as well Soviet Union owe us much of money so they deliver war material in regard to this.

In same time we are teached in school against dirty darn west imperialist and we are iun same time cooperatite with them. There was situation tio have Soviet AA rockets and radar system from UK. No doubt that we was strange mixture of country. I was talk with one retired colonel who have in cooperation with one US team and told me interesting detail about the Northrop Tigershark. He said that first this plane was designated as F-5G and later on suggestion of Yugoslavs this plane was renamed in F-20. Also this machine was planed to have composite wing if could reach in manufacture, also on Yugoslav suggestion.

I could talk you a long stories here but... fact is that we was and we will be never more. Yugoslavia is gone. Many in my family lost its life in wars for Yugoslavia and after that this country gone.

Cheers

[lmritger]

Thank you both for sharing your experiences... I know little about postwar Yugoslavia, although I studied the JKRV and the Croatian and Slovak units a bit while writing my books on the Bf 109. Yugoslavia struck me as something of an oddity, in that the people never seemed to know exactly what they wanted to do as a country... did they want to band together and fight as one, or did they want to split into different groups based on ethnic and religious distinctions, and kill each other?

Sadly, I think we know the answer to that question now.

Thanks once again for your insight!

Cheers,

Lynn

[John Dupre]

>>Josip Broz-Tito the president of Yugoslavia (dictator,but kinnda good one)<<

I would say that there are no good dictators. Tito was a thorough communist and an even more thorough despot. Ask the hundreds of thousands of dead and imprisoned political prisoners, Catholics and religous of all faiths. He might have feared and despised the Russians and the Warsaw Pact but he was no less a monster. Yugoslavia was always an artificial construct and Tito kept it together only through fear and secret police tactics. He was no better than Stalin, Mao or Castro. Whatever economic advances Yugoslavia ever had will be miniscule in comparison to what a free society can do.

Tito was brilliant at playing NATO and Warsaw Pact against each other and thus acquiring military material at cheaper prices than he might otherwise have done.

[Mgawa]

Catholics

To regret this is not correct... Orthodox was under pressure not Catholics. They have goes normaly into the church, they have Christian schools, while we in Serbia was almost forbiden to mention something like that. I know this excellent as well my mother is Croatian and Catholics and I was goe into Croatia occasianaly and could see the reality. Still remember when our class teacher force seven of our friends from class to stand because they declared that believe in God.

Almost 500 Orthodox church are destroyed during the WW2. After the war Yugoslav gouverment wanted to have repair pay from Germany for that church but they refuse to pay. And never pay for that. Reason? They actually did not almost nothing, most of this chuch are destroyed by domestic force, in many cases communists.

Please do not missunderstand me- I did not want to blame any religion and religion is not guilty for the troubles in my countries. All come from politics and had negative influence in religions too. My father was partisan but not comunnist. He was decorated for bravery and he definitely desrve this. When somebody goes into war with 14 years it is real bravery. And he was in very bitter fights and very bitter conditions, that was survival, not war.

Cheers

Note- I am apologize to officials of this forum and to membership for this off topic. In reward I will upload dosen images of Yugoslav airplanes here if you are interesting.

[bdk]

It is good to hear the story directly from people who live there, rather than from books and college professors. Thank you for the insight.

Yugoslavia definitely had an interesting mix of Soviet and western equipment! Where else could they have gotten enough Sherman tanks together to film Kelly's Heroes?